We Are Miami

Newsmax Buys Two Miami Spanish AM Stations

WAQI 710 sells for $1.26 million and WQBA 1140 for $540,000, both licensed in Miami.

Updated on Nov. 6, 2026 in Latin

A tall steel AM broadcast tower stands on flat scrubland under bright sky, with a small concrete equipment hut at its base.
Newsmax agreed to buy Miami Spanish-language AM stations WAQI 710 and WQBA 1140 from Latino Media Network for a combined $1.8 million, its first radio acquisition. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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Miami's Spanish-language radio dial is changing hands: Newsmax has agreed to buy AM stations WAQI 710 and WQBA 1140 from Latino Media Network, marking the conservative news network's entry into radio ownership. Listeners who tune to these frequencies should expect new programming ahead.

Why it matters

For Miami's Spanish-speaking audience, these two AM stations have been a fixture of local and Cuban-exile-focused broadcasting, and WQBA has already stopped local programming. Who controls these frequencies shapes what news and talk Miamians hear in Spanish in the years ahead.

The two Miami stations are priced at $1.26 million for WAQI and $540,000 for WQBA, a combined $1.8 million. That is a fraction of the $60 million Latino Media Network paid in 2022 for eighteen stations from TelevisaUnivision.

The players

Newsmax

The conservative cable and streaming news network agreeing to buy the two Miami AM stations, marking its entry into radio ownership.

Latino Media Network

The owner of WAQI 710 and WQBA 1140 that is selling both stations to Newsmax.

TelevisaUnivision

The Spanish-language media company that sold eighteen stations, including these Miami outlets, to Latino Media Network in 2022.

The details

Newsmax Radio will pay $1.26 million for WAQI 710 and $540,000 for WQBA 1140, both licensed in Miami, to Latino Media Network. The stations were part of LMN's 2022 purchase of eighteen stations from TelevisaUnivision, financed with debt from Lakestar Finance LLC. WQBA ended its local programming in July 2025 after carrying the Office of Cuba Broadcasting's Radio Martí, while WAQI had been set to drop its Spanish conservative talk lineup last December but kept part of it.

Timeline

  1. 2022: LMN buys eighteen stations from TelevisaUnivision for $60 million.

  2. July 2025: WQBA ends its local programming.

  3. December of the prior year: WAQI was set to drop its Spanish conservative talk programming.

  4. November 6, 2026: The Newsmax purchase of WAQI and WQBA is reported.

Beyond the 305

The sale traces back to LMN's 2022 deal for eighteen stations from TelevisaUnivision, which these Miami frequencies were part of. Now two of those stations are changing hands again, with Newsmax taking over ownership of the local AM signals.

If you listen to WAQI 710 or WQBA 1140, the programming you hear could change once Newsmax takes over the frequencies. Keep an eye on the station lineups in the coming months to see what replaces the current Spanish talk and Radio Martí content.

The takeaway

Miami's Spanish-language AM dial is being reshuffled, and the stations that once anchored local Spanish talk are changing owners. Watch for announcements on WAQI 710 and WQBA 1140 programming as the sale proceeds.

Further reading

For more on Spanish-language music and media across South Florida, explore the Latin coverage section.

Source note: This article includes information reported by RadioInsight.

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